Policy of giving 'additional weighting' to applicants from Scottish schools has outraged private schools in England

Edinburgh University says its policy helps ensure 'local students are not prevented from studying their chosen subject because of the pressure on popular subject areas'. Photograph: Murdo Macleod
Murdo Macleod/Murdo Macleod

Headteachers branded Edinburgh University "anti-English" and "xenophobic" today after it emerged the institution discriminates against students who apply from England in favour of those from Scotland.

Edinburgh, which counts the prime minister among its alumni, said its admissions tutors had been told to give "additional weighting" to applicants from Scottish schools. On its website, it says tutors' next preference should be pupils from schools in the north-east of England.

The university, ranked seventh in the Guardian's most recent league table, defends its policy on the site as a way to ensure "local students are not prevented from studying their chosen subject because of the pressure on popular subject areas".

It is not thought to be illegal for Edinburgh to favour applications from Scottish pupils, although other universities, such as Bristol, Birmingham and Glasgow, told the Guardian they treated all applicants, wherever they lived, equally.

But leading private schools said they were outraged by the university, which last year took two-thirds of students from England, and would tell their pupils not to apply in future years.

It comes as this year's university applicants face record competition for places, with a rise in applications this year of 23%. Universities face severe fines for recruiting too many students and there are 6,000 fewer places for this September.

Richard Cairns, headteacher at Brighton College, where fees are up to £9,728 a term for overseas boarders, described Edinburgh's admissions policy as "potentially racist". Just two pupils out of 27 who applied to the university for a place this autumn have received offers, compared to at least 50% in previous years, he said. Cairns scoured the university's website to find out why and discovered the policy.

He said: "I think it is outrageous that any university should discriminate against young people because of where they live. Edinburgh has opted to turn in on itself in a manner that strikes me as potentially both illegal and racist." Cairns, who used to teach in Edinburgh, said Scottish sixthformers would be appalled if Oxford university favoured students from the south of England.

Andrew Halls, headteacher of King's College school in Wimbledon, where fees are £5,300 per term, said just five of the 42 students who had applied for Edinburgh this year had been offered a place, compared to "many more" in previous years.

He said: "We have always thought that Edinburgh was a robust and good university, but this year it has been improbably hard for our boys to get offers. We will obviously say to them not to try for Edinburgh until the university adopts a less xenophobic and anti-English admissions policy. It is entirely against what universities should be about."

Martin Ward, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents state and private headteachers, said Edinburgh's policy could mean fewer students in the south of England had the opportunity to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the UK.

The university said the policy had been in force for six years.

A university spokesman said: "In common with other selective universities, the University of Edinburgh wishes to ensure that highly able students from its local area are encouraged to study at one of their local universities, despite intense pressure on places. For this reason, local applicants are afforded a small weighting in the admissions selection process.

"The university welcomes applicants from outside Scotland. Indeed last year, on average, 38.3% of English applicants received an offer to study at the university. However, in our most competitive subjects, offer chances can be as low as 11%, regardless of where the applicants come from in the UK."

A spokeswoman from Birmingham University said: "Birmingham treats all applicants equally, wherever they come from."